This week’s Tuesday Topic: A Day in Your Life. You can write about this topic or post any running-related blog post. Remember to link up with Kim and Zenaida! Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier! Remember to come back for later linkers!
I’ve done several Day in the Life of a Teacher post. The first one was on November 6, 2016, when things were “normal”. The next one was on June 25, 2019. I wrote it when I was teaching Summer School. The next one was on May 11, 2021. I wrote it during remote learning. The last one was on May 17, 2022. It was fun reading each one again and reflecting on how each one is very different.
Here is a typical day for me (I chose Wednesday):
5:00-5:30 AM
I get up and make my coffee. I check my school email and then my personal email. I send the Friday linkup code to my cohosts. I read posts from the Tuesday linkup. I also read comments and respond to them. Then I get ready and head out for my run. Depending on the distance, I am back by 6:30 or 7 am.
After my run, I shower, get ready, make my smoothie, and hit the road.
7:00-8:30 AM
I arrive at school during that time. I no longer try to get there by 7 am. There have been times when I arrived at 8 am and it was OK. I live 6 miles from my school but the later I leave, the more traffic I encounter. Still, I am not going to stress out if I get there late.
During this time I eat breakfast, check work email, make copies, talk to colleagues, go to the bathroom, and get ready for the day.
8:30-8:45 AM
The bell rings at 8:30 to let the kids into the school. A few minutes later my students are lined up outside the classroom. They come in and eat breakfast. Those that do not eat, color, or do something else. I take attendance and do lunch count.
8:45-10:20 AM
My kids have Reading till 10:20 am. We either read one of the books from the curriculum or go to the rug for a read-aloud. I also meet with some students in a small group setting to work on Reading skills. The others have various tasks to do.
10:20-11:00 AM
We have Writing. It is the most difficult subject to teach. Many of my students struggle with writing.
11:00-11:45 AM
The students line up for lunch. Last week it was very warm and they had outside recess. I eat lunch with my coworker in her classroom. At 11:35 we go outside to meet the students and they stay an extra 10 minutes outside. When it is cold or raining, they stay in the gym and watch a movie. I still need to go down at 11:35. My coworker and I let them run around and play for another 10 minutes before going back to the classroom.
11:45-12:30 PM
We read and write in English. I am actually impressed with them because English is not their first language. They have been working very hard! Sometimes we color or do something fun.
12:30-1:15 PM
My class is split up and they get ready for either Music or Gym. The class that goes to Gym usually has Art but on Wednesday they have Gym. Another 2nd-grade class is also split up and they also go to Gym or Music. The Music teacher is in my room so I cannot stay there. I either go next door to my coworker’s classroom or internal sub.
1:15-2:30 PM
Math. My favorite subject. Right now they’re working on line plots. I find this topic boring. I’d rather go over again adding and subtraction, place value, and word problems. This is my second year teaching Math in English and it is so hard for my students and for me. Everyone is struggling. The reason I am teaching it in English is because of the dual language curriculum. However, next year I will get to teach Math in Spanish.
2:30-2:45 PM
Recess time! Our favorite time of the day. 😀 Sometimes we go outside 5 to 10 minutes earlier. We take advantage of the warm days to get extra time outside. Prior to going outside, the students get their papers from the mailbox and their backpacks and jacket.
2:45-2:50 PM
The bell rings and they line up. The students cannot leave till 2:50 pm.
2:50-3:00 PM
The bell rings again and the students let me know who is there to pick them up. Once everyone is picked up, I go back inside to get my things and head down to the gym. We have a building meeting from 3:05-4:05. We have a building meeting about 3 times each month.
After work, I either go straight home or stop at the store. At home, I cuddle with my cats and rest for a bit. I eat and check blog posts. Sometimes I’ll watch a bit of TV or read a book before getting ready for bed. It was a long day.
I like my schedule. I like the “break” at 12:30. If I don’t have a meeting or need to internal sub, then that is time for me to grade papers, make copies, plan for the next day, etc. I also like the recess time at 2:30. It means that my day is almost over and I can stop teaching. I am not so crazy about lunchtime. I feel like it is too early, but at the same time, it gives me a break in the day.
What about bathroom breaks? I usually go in the morning, during lunch, or at 12:30. If I need to go at another time, I ask my coworker to stay with my students.
Next week is a FREE topic. Feel free to write about any running-related topic. We hope you’ll link up with us!
Phew! That is a long day!
What would stress me is the tight schedule – there is no room to take a bit of me-time during your day.
In a regular office setting like I was, there were days with back-to-back meetings, but there was usually the possibility of taking a few minutes here and there. And I could often plan my lunch or coffee breaks the way I wanted.
I can understand that you’re exhausted at the end of the day. Kudos for being a teacher! You have my deep respect!
Thanks, Catrina! On the positive side, at least I know my schedule rarely changes so I can plan accordingly.
For myself, I’d have mixed feelings on the structure of a class schedule like that. It would be nice to have it in place, and for the students to know what is expected each within each time slot. But I would also struggle with wanting to deviate, as needed, for those who needed extra attention or time to finish their tasks. It’s a good thing I didn’t go into teaching, LOL.
I know what you mean. Sometimes I do deviate from the schedule. The students like to color, paint, and draw. Sometimes we dance too!
I remember those days and don’t miss them one bit. Teaching is a hard job.
My day lately starts with coffee, a trip to the gym, breakfast. then there’s walk at lunch, run after work, dinner, wine, read, bed.
I like that schedule!